


DAD MODE: Activated

by trainermoon



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: (My first fanfic), (be wary of that), (it's not ultra violent but there's a knife so uhh), (so it'll probably be... urgh...), One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 20:10:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12540188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trainermoon/pseuds/trainermoon
Summary: So this is basically me just spit-balling and writing down an image I got into my head, it’s super bad and I know it is but oh well because darn it who doesn’t love ‘Papa Wolf mode: ENGAGED’





	DAD MODE: Activated

Imagine that it’s a late night in Duckburg, mid-October, kind of cool outside. Launchpad’s trying to get to know the kids better, and took them to a movie! This time, not a monster one. He’s not making that mistake again. This time they’re just going to see a nice, calm family-friendly movie. With less limbs flying everywhere.

The movie has just ended, and they’re starting to walk back to the car. The kids thank Launchpad for taking them, and of course he just brushes it off. He was just being nice after all! But then…

A slight crunching. It’s not Louie, even though he’s still holding onto the leftover popcorn. It sounds like…leaves, almost. But all the kids are in front of him, and he doesn’t see any leaves in their path.

He shrugs it off. Maybe it’s just the wind. It _is_ kind of chilly out here. It’s probably just blowing leaves around.

Then a shadow moves. It’s like a flash, quick and almost unnoticeable. At first, he thinks he’s imagining it, until Webby stops short in her tracks, and he almost runs right into her.

Launchpad doesn’t want them to worry, so he pretends he hasn’t noticed anything. To be fair, most times he _doesn’t_ notice these things. “You ok?” he asks casually, with a tint of worry in his voice. He hopes she doesn’t pick it up.

“I feel like…” she begins. “Nevermind, it’s probably just me being weird.”

“Webby,” Huey pipes up. “We already talked about this! You aren’t weird!”

Dewey and Louie chime in, with equal approval and reassurance. Suddenly, all the tension in the air is dropped once more, and he couldn’t be happier. What does he have to worry about? Duckburg is a relatively safe place, in the event something did happen, someone would call the police before it escalated too quickly.

Another shadow passes by, but this time Webby doesn’t react. She’s too preoccupied talking to the boys. Launchpad thinks it’s probably Lena pulling a cruel joke. Of course, she didn’t come along… But maybe she tagged along anyways! She strikes him as that kind of kid.

As they walk along the sidewalk, they cross a small alleyway. _Ohhh no_ , he thinks. _There is no way we’re crossing through that way._ “C’mon, we should take the longer route,” he says.

“But Laaaaunchpaaaad!” whines Dewey. “It’s like… 10 o’clock, we don’t want Uncle Donald getting mad at us for coming home late!”

It kills him to argue with Dewey, but he has to keep them safe. “No no, I was thinking… We could pass by the candy shop instead!”

This decision is met with unanimous approval, and Launchpad sighs with relief.

 

But a sharp movement hits his shoulder, knocking him into the dark alley. _Would it kill someone to put a lamp-post in these places?_ His first thought is that the kids jokingly worked together to push him in here, but he notices that they aren’t in his immediate line of sight. There’s no way they would keep walking without him… right?

A dog holds up a knife at him. Launchpad can’t quite make out his face, thanks to the shadows, but he can at see the light gleaming off the weapon. “Let’s keep this short,” his assaulter says. He has a rough voice, but it’s quiet, almost chilling. “Hand over your wallet and we’ll leave it at that.”

“Heh, noooo problem!” Launchpad says, starting to sweat. His hands go for his pockets, but, just his luck, he can’t find it.

The dog is getting impatient. Launchpad holds up a finger and turns to search some more. Jacket pockets? No, it’s not there… his pants? Nope. Where could it be?

 

Louie’s sipping his soda, slightly behind his brothers and Webby. In his other hand, he’s holding the popcorn bag with his arm to his chest, but per the norm, he’s keeping his hand in his hoodie pocket. However, unlike the norm, he’s holding something in his hoodie. The slight ringing of change echoes, and Huey turns to face Louie.

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

“…Let me see your hands.”

The gang stops temporarily, and Louie sets down his drink on the ground, and removes his other hand from his pocket. “There, see? Just my popcorn and soda.”

Without even bothering to ask, Huey reaches in Louie’s pocket, and pulls out a small piece of leather. “Really Louie? Whose wallet is this?”

“Well… Launchpad said I could borrow it to buy snacks, but he didn’t say I had to return it!”

The three sigh in annoyance.

“Hey, I was gonna give it back eventually!” Louie smiles awkwardly. “It’s not like he minds, right Launchpad?”

“….Launchpad?”

The kids are silent. Where did he go? Did he leave something at the theater? But he would have told them they had to go back. He promised Donald and Beakley to keep an eye on these kids, and Launchpad isn’t the kind of person to break promises.

The unsettling feeling is back.

“Okay, let’s not panic,” says Dewey. “I’m sure he just took a wrong turn or something, we can just retrace our steps to find him!”

The kids turn around and head, unknowingly, straight for the danger.

 

“I’m waiting,” growls the thief.

“I know, I know,” Launchpad says. “I know I have it here, just give me a second…”

“I’ve been giving you plenty of time,” he holds the knife up higher, with more intent.

Launchpad holds up his hands in surrender. “L-Look, I swear I’m not doing this on purpose.”

“Launchpad!”

A faint call makes both of them look away from each other. “Oh no…” he murmurs.

“Launchpaaaaad!”

“Launchpa—“ The kids have entered the alley. They stop short. They know exactly what’s happening, and are… frankly surprised. Webby’s been in the mansion most her life, she didn’t even know something like this could happen. The boys thought this only happened in movies.

The dog looks down, and notices…. The red one is holding a wallet.

He spins around, grabbing Huey by the wrist. “Hand it over!”

In any other event, Louie, Dewey and Webby would be more than willing to fight. But it’s late, they’re kind of tired, kind of in shock. It hasn’t totally registered to them that Huey can get hurt, or even die. Another shadow moves on the roof.

Launchpad thinks it must be another mugger. And he’s not waiting for that.

He takes this opportunity to charge at the dog, not completely knocking him down but catching him off-guard. He takes the knife from his hands, and doesn’t threaten to use it against him, but instead continues holding it in one hands and scoops up the kids with the other.

 

Once he’s run a safe distance, he sets the kids down and awkwardly tries to put down the knife without cutting himself. The kids are still shaken up, but Dewey is already talking about it non-stop. Another adventure? There’s no way Dewey’s letting this one slide.

“Hey uh, guys?” Launchpad says, slightly out of breath. “Could you do me a big favor?”

The kids agree immediately, because after all, he just saved Huey’s life. And maybe even the others.

“Don’t tell anyone else about this.”

“B-but Launchpad, you just totally beat that guy—“ Dewey begins.

“I know, but we don’t want your uncle or Mrs. B finding out. If they knew, I’d never be allowed to take you guys anywhere! You know that they can get kinda…. Um…”

“Overbearing?”  
“Restrictive?”

“Patronizing?”

“Fussy?”

“Uh, sure. Let’s go with that,” Launchpad says awkwardly.

And just like that, they walked back to the car, and no one spoke of it again. Of course, they weren’t going to forget that anytime soon.

 

The shadowy figure on the roof, however, remained. He had watched the whole scenario play out, ever since Launchpad called out.

He’d seen plenty of muggings, and stopped quite a few. But this time… he hadn’t even needed to intervene. The larger duck could have easily escaped while the criminal was distracted by the child, but instead he used the distraction to save all four of the children.

Sure, maybe a lot of people would have tried to do the same in Duckburg, but how many would have succeeded?

He followed the group, watching quietly from the rooftops. He noticed how careful he was, almost clumsy. Actually, scratch that, _super_ clumsy. But not even five minutes ago, he quickly disarmed the mugger, and managed to escape with his own life and four more in tow.

 _Someone who works good under pressure…_ the figure thought. _We could use someone like him back in St Canard._

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand that's that. I hope you liked it! I mean, you must have liked it a tiny bit if you've reached the bottom. Or you just skipped... WHATEVER, anyways, comments are appreciated, especially constructive ones!  
> Might do more of this someday, if I can think of more...


End file.
